Bear Activity: August 20 to August 26, 2010

The following summary is based upon a compilation of bear information provided by government agencies and unconfirmed sightings reported by the public over the last week. It is not intended to be used as a real time, complete record of where bears are in the valley.

BEARS CAN BE ENCOUNTERED ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!

Be aware of your surroundings, know how to reduce the likelihood of encounters, and be prepared should an encounter take place. Always use caution by paying attention to signs of bear activity such as scats, tracks, and digging. Make lots of noise while hiking; hike in groups when possible; carry pepper spray; and obey closures.

Education Tidbit

There are bear warning and closure signs throughout the Bow Valley at the moment. Warning signs are posted when a bear is frequenting an area for more than a couple of days. When an area is closed due to bear activity, it means that there is a serious public safety concern in that area. Examples of why an area would be closed include a bear on a carcass, a bear has acted aggressively towards someone or a trap has been set (and baited with an attractant) to capture a bear. Both warning and closure signage are removed when there has been 72 hours of inactivity in the area.

What is this?The above tag cloud is a visual depiction of Zones used for reporting Bear & Wildlife Activity. The bigger the font, the more activity. Click on any Zone to view all related Activity Reports.